


Be my Forever

by AngelycDevil



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Baby, Canon Compliant, Fluff fluff and more fluff, Kid!Fic, M/M, Peter/Gwen cameo, dilf, general cuteness, hockey!Steve, hurt comfort, new daddies, they're just adorable okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-19
Updated: 2015-11-19
Packaged: 2018-05-02 09:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5242502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelycDevil/pseuds/AngelycDevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The saying goes like this: First comes love, then comes marriage and then comes a baby in a baby carriage.</p><p>Except for Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, love came...and went seventy years ago. When given a second chance, this is what their future looks like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be my Forever

**Author's Note:**

> It took a village to write this fic and I cannot thank these wonderful, kind and generous people enough for their help: everydaybella, Lauren, and CG_lurks. Banner made by me, edits and hockey!Steve manip by very talented Mina Rivera.
> 
> (Yes, the title is based on the Christina Perri song featuring Ed Sheeran.)
> 
> This work is a gift to a shining bright star in my life, Packy. I love you. <3

“Aw, c'mon!” Bucky screams, jumping from his seat. “That was clearly an illegal hit.”

Vision turns his cool mechanical eyes on him from where he’s floating over the ice. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it.”

“Some fucking referee you are!” Bucky shouts after him as he heads back to center ice.

There’s a giggle to his left and he looks down to find Darcy laughing at him. “Lighten up, big guy. It's just for fun.”

“Just ‘cause it’s for fun doesn’t mean that it shouldn't be played right.” Bucky pouts and Darcy laughs again before turning back to the ice as Sam and Daisy get in a fight trying to get the puck out of the corner. Bucky snickers when she elbows him even though he’s supposed to rooting for Sam’s team. He can’t help it, the girl has spunk.

Three months ago, when Madison Square Gardens came to Stark Industries with an Avengers exhibition hockey game idea to raise money for St. Jude’s, Bucky had been over the moon. He’d been all ready to dust off his skates and show these fucking losers how hockey’s supposed to be played.

Then someone—Bucky suspects Clint—claimed that Bucky’s arm is an unfair advantage which got him disqualified. So, here he is, stuck on the sidelines and watching through heavy glass as his friends get to play in the Madison Square Gardens.

Bucky might have been plotting Clint’s slow, painful murder. The only thing stopping him was Natasha.

It isn’t like Thor, the God of fucking Thunder isn’t playing. He’s only scored twice so far. Not a big deal. No. Not at all.  

Unfortunately, those two goals are all their side has. Clint’s team, Bucky sneers, scored three times. Bucky has to hand it to him, Pietro is fast and has a mean one timer. Then Bobbi had scored on a rebound, and lastly the aforementioned Daisy. Bucky isn’t convinced the building hadn't rumbled when she did.

Bucky’s heart begins pounding in overtime as Steve jumps over the low wall  and takes off after the puck on the opposite side of the ice. Bucky adds his own voice to the crowds as they cheer their captain on.

Hell yeah, Steve is team captain. What else is he gonna be?

Bucky winches as Steve smacks Peter “StarLord” Quill into the boards and steals the puck out from underneath his skates. Bucky knows, on a personal level, that Steve is a two-ton wall of muscle. He quite enjoys being shoved into walls by him, but he can’t imagine that it doesn't hurt here.

There’s no time to worry about the Guardian, however as Steve is flying up the undefended ice toward the net and the nearly unbreakable Mack. Bucky holds his breath, watching the blue streak Steve has made.

He’s just thinking that Steve is going to make it, that he’s going to tie up the game, when, out of nowhere, Steve’s hit from behind with enough force to drive him up the ice and into the boards. Steve takes the hit on his shoulder, but Bucky is certain that he’s fine. Steve’s taken harder hits on the field. Vision intervenes though, because it can’t be missed that poor Fitz’s stick was too high and hit Steve’s neck. Bucky chuckles as Fitz, red-faced, apologizes profusely for the infraction. Steve waves him off with a smile, and Bucky can watch his lips form the “It’s alright. It’s just an accident. No harm, no foul.”

Regardless, Fitz heads to the penalty box and Bucky grins. Steve, Tony, and Thor line up on the blue line, Wanda and Hope behind them in the zone. Only Clint and Natasha are opposite with Bobbie and Simmons behind them. A five on four power play. The perfect chance to tie up the game. All they have to do is score.

Bucky keeps one eye on the counter and the other on the players as the crowd cheers, teetering on true excitement. Thor, Steve, and Tony are too strong for the other four to handle. Two minutes becomes one and half and there’s been three scoring chances. A minute fifteen and Mack barely stops a rebound.

At a minute, Bucky’s concentration is broken when his phone rings. He manages to fish the thing out of his pocket about the same time Steve is winding up to take a shot.

“Hello?” 

He misses the answer when the crowd goes wild as Steve scores his team's third goal.

“Wait, say that again!” Bucky yells into his phone over the roar of the crowd as he moves away from the rink.

“GWEN IS HAVING THE BABY! YOU NEED TO GET HERE ASAP!”

Bucky goes still as panic floods into his veins. His mind vibrates with possibilities. Horrible, horrible explanations.  No, no, no—they can’t lose the baby. They can’t—

“BUCKY, DID YOU HEAR ME?!”

“Yeah,” he croaks out, feeling faint. He reaches out to steady himself on a wall. “Yeah. I’ll get Steve.”

“OKAY! HURRY UP!”

Then the line goes dead and Bucky collapses against the cement wall.  The baby is coming. The baby is coming…too soon. Way too soon. Steve had about gone crazy reading books and blogs and videos and thirty-week babies will have complications and be too small and need oxygen an—

“Bucky?” A soft voice speaks next to him and Bucky struggles to regain control. Slowly, his rapid breaths elongate and he sits up. “Bucky?” Pepper repeats, smiling at him worriedly, and Bucky focuses on her steady presence.

“Gwen is in the hospital. The baby is coming. I need to tell Steve,” he manages to get out before the panic begins to build within him. He puts his head between his knees and concentrates of breathing.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll pull Steve out of the ice. You, freshen up or Steve will start freaking out too.”

Bucky grins at her no-nonsense voice. “Yes ma’am,” he replies through his deep breaths. 

Satisfied, Pepper fast-walks into the rink, her heels clicking loudly against the floor.

After a few more deep breaths, he’s confident enough to get on his feet. He grabs his phone and looks at himself in the glass screen, wiping away any evidence of his mini-episode.

It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine,  Bucky repeats to himself and makes himself believe it. It’s not that hard to accomplish that because he’s an Avenger now. They’ll have the best doctors at their disposal. They have Bruce, Stark and Helen to help them raise this baby.  It’ll be fine.

More footsteps echo through the tunnel and Bucky looks up to see Pepper, Steve, Jane and Darcy rushing towards him.

Bucky plasters a smile on his face as Steve reaches him.

“What happened? The baby is coming?” Steve calls, his voice strained.

“Yeah, Peter called. Come on.” Bucky hooks his arm through Steve’s and tugs him towards their car.

“We’ll follow you in mine!” Pepper calls out, heading in the opposite direction.

“This is too early,” Steve whispers to him. “You think—”

“The baby will be fine,” Bucky cuts in sharply. “You know the stats, Stevie. The baby will survive.”

“Do you know what happened? Gwen is healthy. We made sure.”

“I know. I’m sure it was an accident,” Bucky replies as he gets into the car and starts the engine.

As much as he had managed to get a grip on his frenetic thoughts, a few still remain in the forefront of his mind and yes, he knows the baby will be  fine , but the fact does nothing to calm him completely.

This was supposed to be easy. Well, as easy as raising a child can be. They are a stable couple (as long as you don’t factor in the Avengers part), Gwen is a healthy woman with strong genetics and all their tests had been overwhelmingly positive. After all those years in the 40s, they are finally in a place to give a child a safe, comfortable and healthy life. They’re at a place where they can afford to  spoil a child.

Bucky screeches out of his parking spot and into the busy roads. If his driving was cringe-worthy before, the way he is driving now counts as downright dangerous, but Steve doesn’t complain. He simply reaches out to grab Bucky’s hand from wheel and intertwines their fingers together. That simple connection calms Bucky’s agitation down and Bucky squeezes back.

It’ll be fine.

The drive to the hospital is way shorter than it should’ve been and Bucky may or may not have almost gotten in an accident a handful of times, but no harm, no foul, right?

They walk into the hospital, hand in hand, and thanks to his murder glare—as Clint dubbed it—and his very obvious metal arm, they’re sent into Gwen’s room without any trouble. But as soon as they land on the maternity ward, they realize they didn’t need any directions; they can hear Gwen’s screams from the elevator. Steve flinches next to him as another shriek sounds through the ward. Biting down a grin, Bucky brings Steve’s hand up for a light kiss. He can fight aliens without hesitating, but a pregnancy has Steve crawling out of his skin. Bucky thinks it’s hilarious, much to Steve’s dismay.

“Come on. Gwen will kill us if we take longer,” Bucky whispers to Steve who’s dawdling in front of the door.

“We’ll get through this, right?” Steve mutters softly.

Bucky slips his arms around his boyfriend for a tight hug and kisses his neck. “Of course, we will.” Steve looks back at him with a soft smile and he leans up on his tiptoes to press a kiss against Steve’s lips. “Shall we?”

“Yeah,” Steve whispers before returning the kiss with a small smile.

Another scream echoes off the walls as they open the door and Steve manages to hide his flinch this time.

“About time you guys got here!” Peter grins at them and slips out of Gwen’s grip, wincing, to hug them.

“How’s it coming along?” Bucky takes Peter’s seat, smiling at Gwen.

These two are a nice couple, young but in love like he and Steve were back in the day. Ambitious too. Gwen is interning with OsCorp at twenty on top of a full-ride scholarship. Peter is more laid back, but the kid’s talented as hell. Steve already bought a bunch of paintings from him for the Tower and the office at the base. The baby was a surprise and as loving as the two are, they don’t want kids. At the same time, Gwen couldn’t bear to get an abortion…or let the baby be put into foster care, so here they are.

“Don’t look so worried,” Gwen gasps out, sweat curling down her face. “The doctor said there’s no reason to worry. That we’ll both be safe and healthy. It’s gonna be a normal delivery. It’ll be safe for the baby.”

“And you,” Steve interjects, leaning on Bucky’s chair. “How are you holding up?”

Gwen smiles tersely. “I’m okay. It’s painful. They don’t really know what happened, but they’re fixing it.” Tears cloud her eyes as another contraction hits her. Bucky takes Gwen’s hand with his metal one and tells her to squeeze as much as she wants.

The next few hours pass by rapidly and slowly at the same time, and by the time the doctor comes in, all four—five—occupants are vibrating with the need to deliver this baby. Steve excused himself in the middle to change his clothes (that Pepper grabbed on the way out of the rink) and is now wearing a plain, soft gray sweater and jeans that makes Bucky want to snuggle into him. Except Gwen still has her death grip on him, so he settles for the next best thing—laying his head on Steve’s shoulder as he sits beside him.

The doctor goes through her routine, all warm smiles and calm demeanor, while Gwen looks like she’s plotting a murder. Bucky actually feels bad for the woman. She’s been nothing but useful and steady through this entire process (and all of their tedious questions). Bucky needs to send a basket of lotion or something. Maybe Pepper will help him pull something together to pamper the doctor.

Before they realize it, they’re all given ponchos to wear and the baby can’t stay in any longer. Steve grabs Bucky’s free hand, squeezing tightly as they watch Gwen  push, push, push until they can see the baby’s head. (Peter turns a bit green and ducks out of Gwen’s sight so he can freak out in peace.) A few more minutes or hours later, the doctor pulls the baby out carefully and tucks the baby into her arms to show everyone.

“It’s a girl! Congratulations!” She announces as she moves the baby closer to Gwen before bringing her near Steve and Bucky. Steve encircles his arms around Bucky as the baby is brought closer, peeking out at her from behind Bucky.

“She’s beautiful,” Steve whispers in awe as they watch their little girl being fed oxygen tubes and cocooned in various wraps before being taken away. Bucky simply leans back into Steve in reply.

A girl. Their baby girl. Bucky feels giddy with that information.  A girl.

The doctor returns soon to explain how things are looking for  their baby girl as the nurse fusses around Gwen to make sure she’s comfortable and rested properly. The baby is going to be alright, but they can’t see her for another hour in the NICU. Gwen won’t be able to move for the next couple hours and Peter has opted to stay by her side all night. Babies aren’t really his thing, though he did get all teary-eyed when the doc showed the baby around.

Once they make sure that Gwen and Peter  really are alright, they head back to the waiting room to update the girls on the news. Except when they pull the doors open, they notice the room is gushing with people.  Everyone is here, sprawled across couches and the carpeted floor and munching on Dunkin Donuts.

A pulsing, giddy warmth spreads through Bucky’s body and  how the hell did they get so lucky to have these friends? He glances at Steve with wonder and barely-concealed excitement as the chatter in the room plummets once the group notices them standing there.

“Everything alright, boys?” Sam leans towards them, fighting a smile.

But Steve and Bucky can’t fight theirs any longer. “It’s a girl!” They blurt out and resulting cheers are near deafening. But the hospital staff don’t say anything. Tony has sound-proofed the waiting room for this exact purpose.

Sam is the first one to congratulate them, pulling them into a tight hug. For the next hour or so, they find themselves being swept up in hugs, kisses and best wishes. Thor is the one who puts donuts in their hands while extolling the virtues of “feasting when a great battle is won.” Bucky and Steve end up eating a dozen between them when their nurse peeks out of a door. 

“Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes?”

Bucky springs to his feet while Steve stuffs another donut in his mouth and chews vigorously. The nurse fights a smile as Bucky smacks Steve. 

“What?” he mumbles around his food, sheepishly. “Fast metabolism. Got hungry.”

Bucky rolls his eyes before turning back to the nurse. “Can we see her now?”

“Yes. You can.” The nurse grins widely at them before holding the door open for them. Bucky’s fingers find themselves clutching Steve’s as they enter the NICU. “Do me a favor, will you? There’s a sink over there. Please wash your hands thoroughly with soap and dry them first before you enter the room. We’ve placed her into an incubator,” she continues as they follow her instructions. “You can see her through there. Unfortunately, you can’t properly hold her yet, but there are holes on sides of the incubator where you can touch her and lift her if you’d like. Remember to support her head as well as her body weight.” She grabs something from a cupboard and gives it to them. “Those are the gloves you’ll be wearing while touching the baby. And...that’s it! I’ll be right there if you have any questions.” The nurse points to her little desk in the corner of the room. “If there’s nothing else… congrats!” 

Steve waits for Bucky to dry his hands before dragging him to the incubator where their daughter is sleeping. She’s resting peacefully, swaddled in a thin yellow blanket and a gray beanie.

Steve moves closer until he’s practically glued to the glass and a rush of affection floods Bucky as he watches Steve watch their baby girl in wonder. 

He’s gonna be such a great father,  he realizes for the thousandth time ever since they’d decided to adopt a baby. Steve had been hesitant when Bucky brought it up. Steve and babies don’t exactly have the best track records, but once they reached the decision, Steve jumped in with both feet. He’d signed up to volunteer at a daycare nearby to get used to kids and spend every other free moment buried in baby books. Bucky preferred movies and documentaries. 

“She’s so tiny, Buck,” Steve whispers. “Look at her.” 

“Trust me, sweetheart, I’m looking,” Bucky says, stepping closer to the baby. All the tubes going in and out make her even smaller. So fragile and beautiful.  Their daughter. 

Holy fu—dge. 

Realization washes over him in a tidal wave, leaving him breathless. All those months of preparation dissipate as Bucky sees their daughter. This tiny baby is going to grow and they get watch her first smile, first word, first step. They get to watch her grow beautifully and create special moments with her. They get to show her love, compassion, honor and humility. They’re her guide into life. They’ll teach her how to live happily. 

She’s their responsibility now. 

“We’re parents,” Bucky croaks out. Tears blur his vision as their daughter shuffles in her sleep. “We’re  parents , Stevie.” 

Steve chuckles wetly as he pulls Bucky near. “Yeah, baby.  We’re parents. ” 

Bucky wraps his arm around Steve’s waist and rests his head in the crook of Steve’s neck, but never takes his eyes off their daughter. “This is our future...She is.”

“Yeah.” Steve sniffles. “We’re a family, Buck. I expected to feel this much love, but  feeling it ...it’s…”

“Yeah.  Yeah. ” Bucky twists around to seal their future with a kiss. Steve responds immediately, carding his fingers through Bucky’s hair, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. They part sooner than they usually do, grinning and teary-eyed as this moment keeps hitting them, over and over.  They’re parents. 

“I wanna hold her,” Steve whispers against his temple. “Do it with me?” 

“Of course! Just switch with me. I don’t want to…” Bucky awkwardly jerks his metal arm, too aware of how much pain it can cause. Has caused. 

Steve flutters his eyelashes dejectedly, just the slight idea of a pout forming on his lips. For all the sweet, there's also a spark of fierce protectiveness that Bucky has seen a hundred times whenever this argument comes up.

Bucky huffs lightly. “Don’t gimme that. Look at her, Stevie, she’s tiny and fragile. I’m not risking it.”

Steve replies with a peck to a cheek before switching sides with him so that Bucky can hold the bottom half of their daughter with his real arm. She’s so tiny that either one of them can probably hold her in one arm, but that won’t be safe. Also, they’re complete saps and well aware of it. The first time they hold their daughter is going to be together. They deserve it—this happiness after everything they’ve been through, the decades that they were separated. This...this moment about makes it all worth it. 

Bucky and Steve slip into the gloves the nurse left them before shuffling closer to the incubator. 

“Are you sure we won’t hurt her?”

“Absolutely not, Mr. Barnes. Just trust yourself,” the nurse replies from her station. 

Steve smirks at him lightly, a ‘I told you’ clear in his eyes as he slides an arm towards their daughter through the hole in the side of the incubator. Lightly, he trails a finger down the side of her skull, her cheek and an arm. 

Jesus fuck, she’s smaller than his forearm.

Swallowing all of his doubts, Bucky reaches toward, touching their daughter frail skin. It’s thin like paper, softer than anything he touched. Curious, he extends a finger against her tiny feet and exhales in awe when he sees how small her feet are compared to his index finger. 

“Ready?” Steve murmurs, slipping his palm under her head.

Bucky can do nothing but nod. 

In silent agreement, they carefully lift their daughter and bring her closer. 

“She’s like a cloud, Stevie.” Bucky is unable to stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth as he holds  their daughter.

Steve sniffs, laughing. “Yeah. Hello, baby girl,” he cooes, stroking the side of her face, gently. “Hey Maggie. I’m Steve. I’m your daddy.”

“Margaret,” Bucky chokes out. “Your name is Margaret Freddie Rogers-Barnes. I’m also your daddy and I can’t wait to meet you.” **  
**


End file.
